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Tenancy Agreements for a rented property - UK

Hi.

I am renting a property with 4 friends. All contracts etc have been signed. However, 1 of my friends wants his girlfriend to move in along with her newly born baby (only 2 months old). Me and the other 2 friends/tenants all disagree with this and really don't see that it is fair we should share our property with guests that we don't want there.

Does anyone know the policy regarding guests and children? Are they legally allowed to stay for a period of time even though it is against all our wishes, or are we right in thinking they cannot stay as they are not part of the tenancy agreement.

"Move in" sounds pretty permanent and if you look in your tenancy agreement there is probably something that covers this. You should check with your landlord, but it's sad that, since you say he is your friend, reasonable behaviour and respect for one another haven't prevailed. He doesn't sound like a very good friend. However, you are on rather shaky ground as you are simply renting a quarter of the house and if he wants a guest to stay for a short while, there's probably not a lot you can do about it. If the intention is several months, then I would certainly check with your landlord. But the first thing is obviously to try to appeal to reason with your supposed friend.

Raffles is right, there should be some indication of where you stand in your contract.

Usually "sub-letting" is not permitted. For example, when I moved into a flat a few years back the landlord complained that only two previous tenants were meant to be living there but he had been suspicious that a third person was living there also and sleeping in the lounge. It works on the basis that if there are 4 bedrooms, 4 people share the rent. If then two people move into one room making 5 tenants, rightfully the landlord can ask for another person to be accounted in the rent, rather than all tenants dividing the total rent between themselves. It does depend on the policy has to say however.

Also, I can't know what circumstances this guy and his family are in, but even if they are desperate they should really be more considerate of other people who will have to live there with them. A two month old baby is enough to drive parents crazy, nevermind innocent bystanders!

You should check with your landlord, but it's sad that, since you say he is your friend, reasonable behaviour and respect for one another haven't prevailed. He doesn't sound like a very good friend.

That does kind of work in two ways though. Yeah, he should have asked you first but you guys knew he had a pregnant girlfriend when you went through with this deal, right?

Assuming he's the father, is it reasonable to deny his newborn baby a home?

Before you go ahead with anything drastic, consider benefits of the arrangement. With more people, there's more money in the house - meaning more food etc. What could she do to earn her allowance to stay? If she will be staying at home all the time, you could be lucky enough to be able to walk in every evening to a clean house!

Jake Arkinstall
"Sometimes you don't need to reinvent the wheel;
Sometimes its enough to make that wheel more rounded"-Molona

Assuming he's the father, is it reasonable to deny his newborn baby a home?

Not at all, when he finds one, let him out of his lease graciously.

To expect his roommates to put up with a screaming child all night, a cranky sleep-deprived mother/father, and giving up all their rights as to making reasonable amounts of noise and having guests over (shhhh can't wake the baby) is insane.

I think I need to clarify a couple of things. This is a student letting yes, between the 4 of us.

At the time the contracts were signed, we were not aware that he had a girlfriend, nor were we aware he was fathering a child. We only learnt a month later of his situation.

Although we have no problems with him as a person, nor his girlfriend, we do feel however that having his girlfriend and baby there would be inappropriate as it is a student property meaning late nights, loud music and so on, but also an inconvenience as would be sharing a 4 bed property between 6 people. On top of this, we feel she and the baby would be using the utilities and living there rent free and not paying her share (she does not have a job).

The girl and her baby both have a flat back home, but they live far away which is why he wants them to move in with us.

We were also told the baby goes to bed at 8pm....we wont be going to bed until considerably later than that. I don't feel we should be quiet after 8pm, and tip-toe around a child that isn't our responsibility, in a house that we pay for.

It sounds like he kept this fairly important information from you. I totally agree with you that it would be a massive inconvenience and I would not be prepared to put up with it if I were you. Like tke71709 has said, it is a huge disruption having a baby in the house, particularly if you are 4 renting a house. And if she's unlikely to make a contribution, then my personal opinion would be to take a hard line on this and say "sorry mate, we don't agree with it and are not happy to have her and the baby here permanently". If it ruins your friendship with him, so be it. The deciding factor surely is that he kept this information from you - no real friend would neglect to tell you he's got a girlfriend, let alone about to become a father!